Weekly Spotlight: Using Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes to Create Hearty Meals!

Both sweet potatoes and black beans are excellent foods to incorporate into your diet. Black beans are high in protein and fiber, and sweet potatoes are a great source of fiber and antibiotics. Each of these whole foods can be turned into delicious meals on their own, but when paired together, black beans and sweet potato create a flavor profile that can be used in everything from quesadillas to burgers.

Having these two foods on hand is excellent when it comes to meal prep because of their versatility. You can transform them into a quick and hearty meal that’s perfect for the colder weather. The best part is that sweet potato and black bean go well with a multitude of other vegetables (think lettuce for salads or lettuce wraps, mushrooms and kale for tacos or wraps…etc), making them great to combine with food that you already have on hand. Here are some recipes that use both sweet potato and black beans and recipes to make when you have extra of either!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives! 

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to use black beans and sweet potatoes to create hearty meals!

Sweet Potato Recipes

Source: Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Sweet potatoes are a great food to include in your diet. They are perfect when you roast them, and they can be used to top salads, add to desserts, and eaten on their own.  You can sweeten sweet potatoes and create candied sweet potatoes or you can use them in savory recipes like chili. Sweet potatoes are versatile and a wonderful food to keep on hand during the colder months.

• Oaxacan Buddha Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potato by Rachel Carr
• Roasted Sweet Potato With Spiced Chickpeas by Maryke Wylde
• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad by Laine Rudolfa
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Broccoli With Cheesy Sauce by Plant Tribe
• Roasted Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad by Ross Bearman, Great Taste Judge and Founder of Ross & Ross Gifts
• Onion and Sweet Potato Pierogis by Sweet, Savory, and Free: Insanely Delicious Plant-Based Recipes without Any of the Top 8 Food Allergens
• Sweet Potato Pasta with Walnut ‘Chorizo’ by Lauren Lovatt

Black Beans

Source: Grilled Vegetable Wrap with Mashed Black Beans

Black beans can be used in a variety of ways, and here are some recipes to get you started. Black beans work well in soups, tacos, and burgers. You can also make black beans from scratch, which is a great way to control how much salt you’re adding. For a few of these recipes, you may need to drain the beans before using, while for others, you’ll need the liquid.

• Black Bean Stew by Kimberly Espinel
• Easy Black Bean Burger by Caroline Doucet
• Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burgers by Lukas Volger
• Grilled Vegetable Wrap with Mashed Black Beans by Maria Koutsogiannis
• Refried Black Beans by Wholesome LLC
• Cuban Black Beans by Val & Mani Latifi
• Black Bean Tortilla Soup by Maggie Wescott

Sweet Potato and Black Beans

Source: Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Pairing sweet potatoes and black beans opens a whole new world! You can use sweet potatoes and black beans in tacos, quesadillas, burgers, and even in desserts like these brownies. There are many ways to enjoy sweet potato and black bean together, and anyway you enjoy them, you’re sure to find a new delicious way to eat them. If you’re looking for a good make-ahead option for this flavor, you can make these Freezable Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers by Michele Elizabeth. Feel free to top it all off with salsa or avocado or your favorite vegan spicy mayo or sauce.

• Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili by Joyce Gan
• Black Bean Burgers with Guacamole by Anita Bean
• Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas by Hannah Sunderani (photo)
• Sweet Potato, Kale, and Black Bean Quinoa Salad by Caroline Doucet
• Sweet Potato, Poblano, and Black Bean Tacos by Nutritious Delicious: Turbocharge Your Favorite Recipes With 50 Everyday Superfoods
• Charred Corn and Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Teffy Perk
• Freezable Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers by Michele Elizabeth
• Sweet Potato and Tofu Breakfast Tacos With Spicy Black Beans by Alex and Linda Meyer
• Smoky Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers With Onion Rings by The Rose and Bean
• Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas by Mitch and Justine Chapman

Sweet Treats to Enjoy

Source: Black Bean Fudge Brownies With Sweet Potato Caramel

There aren’t many sweet recipes that use both black beans and sweet potatoes, but here are some ways to use black beans in sweet treats and sweet potatoes in desserts. Black beans are a great food to sneak into desserts (you won’t taste them!) to add more protein. Sweet potatoes are great to eat with some brown sugar and vegan butter, or bake into a pie or brownies!

• Black Bean Fudge Brownies With Sweet Potato Caramel by Ashley Madden
• Black Bean Brownies by Julie Zimmer
• Black Bean S’mores Brownies by Gabrielle St. Claire
• Thankful Sweet Potato Pie Tacos by Wes Allison
• Sweet Potato Pie by Shanika Graham-White

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